How much say did you have or can you expect when it comes to sweeps and inductions

[SimplySara]

So I'm now heading into my fifth day overdue with my third child and have made an appointment with the midwives for Thursday. The issue is though, at the last appointment ( 2 weeks ago) they said they would do a sweep at the next one - not "offer to do a sweep" but "do a sweep". I don't want a sweep though as feel the whole correlation/causation thing is still unresolved and rather not have what could be an unnecessary procedure. I've had a very uncomplicated pregnancy (the same with the last two too) and feel no rush to have the baby. The question is though, what exactly are my rights when it comes to requesting that no sweeps be performed and how might I do this without causing a huge fuss.

Also, what have been your experiences of scheduling inductions? How much say did you have about how long overdue you could go before it needed to be done? Was there different methods of inductions offered or just a one size fits all approach? I'm in Glasgow so would really appreciate hearing from others who have had experiences with Glasgow/Scottish methods but am also interested in what generally happens outside of these providences as well.

Err... well given that it's your fanjo and all I'd say that you're well within your rights to make it "Invitation Only" down there! A swift "no thanks" should cover it.

All the best with the baby.

And I went to 41 (which is considered "normal gestation in much of the world after all) before anyone even started offering sweeps or inductions. Here in Wales things seem to get twitchy if you go over 42 weeks, although all cut-offs are of course fairly arbitrary.

You absolutely have a right to refuse anything. Unless you have been sectioned they have absolutely no right to do anything you don't want. I refused a sweep and would have gone for monitoring rather than induction. There's pros and cons and its absolutely your decision to make based on the evidence.

Your baby is not due on the 'due date'. That is merely a mid point. It is normal and safe for babies to be born between 37 and 42 weeks.

You are not 5 days over until you are 42+5.

Don't have the sweep if you don't want one and take someone with you if you don't think you will be able to stand up to them when the time comes.

As the others have said, you have 100% say and can refuse any and all treatment.

Certainly when it comes to a sweep, there is no earthly reason to have one if you don't want to. (My 2 babies went to 41 weeks and 41+1, no sweeps or anything, they came when they were ready!) If you're happy with it, great. If not - your body, your choice.

I refused an induction but had to get a consultant to agree with me that there was no risk to the baby (had pre-eclampsia) until they would leave me alone. The consultant on night duty had (apparently) sent the instruction without actually seeing me. Sat with my knees glued together demanding a second opinion until the new one came on for day shift. He sat with me and looked at my notes, agreed with me and I remember him saying calmly to the assembled staff "There is no pressing need to deliver this baby" to which they all looked mildly pissed off as they had been trying to foist suppositories on me for the last few hours. I think I am still a bit in love with him

My midwife offered it to me. I said "what do you think", she said "only you can make the decision". Ime the midwives are fairly switched on regarding the success rate of sweeps. I know mine only worked after I'd started having mild cramping/contractions. (But boy, did they then make things happen!)

You body. Your baby. Your decision. You can, of course refuse any procedure or examination..

I really dislike the turns of phase that some MW use. Such as "we will be doing...", "I'm going to book your induction", "I'm just going to make a little cut to make it easier for you to push your baby out", or one of my favourites "you don't need an epidural".

*Your body.

It's your decision. In my recent experience, there was a fair amount of emotional pressure to be induced and I didn't feel able to say no. I don't regret agreeing and fortunately induction was a positive experience but not my preferred choice originally! I wasn't overdue though, my waters had broken but labour didn't start.

You can refuse any procedure you like although you may be pushed into agreeing to daily monitoring to get them off your back. X

You have the ultimate say, it's your body. You don't have to have a sweep at all if you don't want one. I went 18 days overdue with my third baby - 9 and 4 days overdue with first two so wasn't expected.
I refused induction as I wanted a home birth and didn't have any pressure put on me at all. I went in for scanning almost every day (which is the NICE recommended alternative to induction). I did eventually agree to induction on day 16 (for reasons unrelated to the actual pregnancy) but when it came time to go in, the hospital were too busy with emergency inductions. While I was waiting, my waters broke so I opted to stay at home and see what happened. Nothing happened for another 36 hours, but again the hospital were happy for me to continue waiting it out. Finally had my daughter at home after a 3 hour labour - perfect!

All any medical professional can do is advise you. It's your body.